Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease Is Easier Than You Think

Diet and lifestyle can play a significant part in up to 80% of disease, so don't wait to fall ill - make the right choices now!This article gives good information and sound advice on addressing a big and rapidly increasing cause of ill health in the western world. Worth a read:)

National Institute of Medical Herbalists

Six Non-Cannabis Plants That Are High In Healing Cannabinoids

Medicinal uses of cannabis attract a great deal of publicity, and rightly so. Unfortunately though, cannabis remains a forbidden plant in our culture. But plants are complex organisms, and cannabis is not the only plant to have healing cannabinoids. While not a complete alternative, each of the plants mentioned in this article have some of the beneficial medicinal effects of cannabis, without carrying the risk of restricting your liberty.

Acupuncture boosts effectiveness of standard medical care for chronic pain, depression

Interesting how acupuncture is so popular with medics - must be because it works! Always good to read of new research. Acupuncture is available at the Evergreen Clinic in Cork all day Mondays and Wednesdays. If you're interested, 021 496 6209.

Patrick Holford

I always enjoy discussing diet and lifestyle with a patient as this often provides the key to resolving their health issues, setting them on the road to be able to effectively manage their health in the long term. Eating well doesn't mean having to micro-manage your diet and spend lots of money on the latest trendy foods. Some simple basic rules will go a long way to looking after your health and well-being, as this article describes.

National Institute of Medical Herbalists

Nice to see the use of herbs we typically prescribe for stress and anxiety supported by clinical research.

National Institute of Medical Herbalists

Herbal treatment can be a good companion to cancer treatment, helping to moderate side-effects of chemo and radiotherapy, and in some cases ease symptoms of the disease and help boost aspects of health such anti-oxidant status and immune activity. Calendula is just one of the valuable herbs one might use.

High cholesterol 'does not cause heart disease' new research finds, so treating with statins a 'waste of time'

Refreshingly, the research in this article emphasises how health comes substantially from what you eat and do, not from the pills you pop. As much as 80% of human illness is substantially affected by diet and lifestyle, so it is no surprise that the Evergreen Clinic's medical herbalist, Kevin Orbell-McSean, takes the time to include an in-depth look at these factors during a consultation. Any recommendations for change are kept as simple and easy as possible, tailored to the circumstances of the patient. Evergreen Clinic of Natural Medicine, 021 496 6209, - enquiries always welcome.

Project aims to end 'ambiguity' of plant-based medicine - BBC News

What a terrifically worthwhile project to take on. Good for Kew; fantastic institution. Although folk / common names for plants can be full of charm and indicate how regional cultures interpret and use the plants, in professional practice we primarily use the latin names, precisely to avoid the ambiguity that can occur with common names.

Regret

On the face of it, vaccination seems a no-brainer. Why wouldn't you want to protect yourself against a ghastly disease by injecting a harmless, disabled virus? Unfortunately, it just isn't that simple. While the disabled virus may ( or may not) be harmless, other ingredients of the vaccine may provoke adverse reactions. Vaccines typically, for instance, contain an adjuvant, a component which stimulates the immune system. On the one hand this enables the body to mount a stronger response to the vaccine, resulting in better protection against the disease. On the other hand, in those susceptible, the adjuvant might aggravate existing allergies or even provoke allergic reactions that the person didn't previously suffer. Other ingredients which can cause adverse reactions include traces of egg, in which the virus is incubated, and preservatives which keep the vaccine stable. Before deciding to vaccinate, be sure you are making a fully informed decision. Don't assume any single source will give you all the relevant information. Try and read up on all sides of the argument. If it's a new vaccine, bear in mind that it may take years for particular side-effects to be acknowledged, so consider how important it is to have the vaccination in the immediate future. Whether to vaccinate or not, make a well informed decision that you feel comfortable with.

Mediterranean diet better than statins for tackling heart disease – study

Shocking New Role Found for the Immune System: Controlling Social Interactions

Inevitably, being a facet of the human condition, I have often seen patients who, as well as being ill, are to some extent consumed by guilt / regrets about choices they have made, or behavioural attitudes, which they feel are responsible, at least in part, for their condition. We do tend, after all, to feel that our conscious mind, our intellect / ego, exerts control over our passage through life. In response, I've introduced the suggestion that in fact our possession of 'free will' is not nearly as free and comprehensive as we imagine. Our presumed freedom of conscious thought and consequent action can in fact be substantially governed by the obscure, almost esoteric shenanigans of our body chemistry, predisposing us to make unwise, perhaps irrational decisions, to feeling distress or fear, or the sense that we ' just can't cope' or being aggresive and antisocial. There are many different physiological imbalances that can result in these behavioural traits, even though they are generally assumed to be within our conscious control. Our body chemistry is something we can substantially affect simply by making sensible choices about what we eat and how we medicate ourselves. The old saying "A healthy body makes a healthy mind" has a great deal of truth behind it. So boot the guilt out the window, and instead make healthy diet and lifestyle choices. If you do fall ill, consider making herbal medicine your first choice, which will support a healthy internal environment rather wreaking havoc among your gut microbes - the article below describes why this makes good sense. If you need guidance, seek professional help. A detailed inquiry into diet and lifestyle forms an important part of treatment by the Evergreen Clinic's medical herbalist, Kevin Orbell-McSean. A consultation or two can be an investment that lasts a life-time.